Ivannia Soto, PhD , is a professor of education and the director of graduate programs at Whittier College, where she specializes in language acquisition, systemic reform for English language learners (ELLs), and urban education. She began her career in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), where she taught English and English language development to a population of 99.9% Latinos, who either were or had been multilingual learners. Before becoming a professor, Soto also served LAUSD as a literacy coach as well as district office and county office administrator. She has presented on literacy and language topics at various conferences, including the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), the California Association for Bilingual Association (CABE), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the National Council of Urban Education Associations. As a consultant, Soto has worked with Stanford University’s School Redesign Network (SRN), WestEd, and CABE, as well as a variety of districts and county offices in California, providing technical assistance for systemic reform for ELLs and Title III. Recently, Soto also directed a CABE bilingual teacher and administrator program across California.Soto has authored and coauthored 12 books, including The Literacy Gaps: Bridge-Building Strategies for English Language Learners and Standard English Learners; ELL Shadowing as a Catalyst for Change, a best seller that was recognized by Education Trust–West as a promising practice for ELLs in 2018; Moving From Spoken to Written Language With ELLs; the Academic English Mastery four-book series; the Common Core Companion four-book series for English language development; Breaking Down the Wall; and Responsive Schooling for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Together, the books tell a story of how to equitably engage and include multilingual learners by ensuring that they gain voice and an academic identity in the classroom setting. Soto is executive director of the Institute for Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching (ICLRT) at Whittier College, whose mission it is to promote relevant research and develop academic resources for ELLs and Standard English learners (SELs) via linguistically and culturally responsive teaching practices/ Before retirement, Linda Carstens was the Director of Professional Learning at the School Redesign Network at the School of Education, Stanford University. She has over 30 years of district-level administrator experience in California, in San Diego City Schools, and other school districts, primarily in the areas of standards, assessment, curriculum and instruction as part of systemic reform, and in services for English Language Learners. She also served as a Visiting Educator in the Accountability Branch of the California Department of Education. As a senior researcher at WestEd, she worked with several California districts in the area of systemic reform and second language, and for two years, co-provided the state’s Title III technical assistance obligation to districts. She earned a Ph.D. in multicultural education from Claremont Graduate University in 1993 and an M.A from San Diego State University in Curriculum and Instruction in 1987. Her undergraduate degree in Spanish and Elementary Education was from Clarke College in 1969. In addition to her other educational experiences, she has also guest-taught in her family hometown of Arienzo, Italy and at the Centro del Muchacho Trabajador in Quito, Ecuador.Linda resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she volunteers her time with local organizations. She has been a member of two national advisory boards related to education for second language students and serves as a peer reviewer for federal ESSA and NCLB competitions, and for Ed Reports and the English Learner Success Forum’s curriculum development projects. A longtime English teacher, Jim Burke is the author of more than 20 books and senior consultant for the Holt McDougal Literature program. Jim has received several awards, including the 2000 NCTE Exemplary English Leadership Award. In 2009, he created the English Companion Ning—the largest online community of English teachers in the world. More recently, Jim has served on the AP English Course and Exam Review Commission and the PARCC Consortium.
